Departure from faith cost Russians half a billion people never born in the last 100 years, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church
http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=425
Rhodos, October 8, Interfax - If the Russian people had not departed from faith in the early 20th century, the population in Russia would have amounted to 640 millions today, stated Archpriest Alexander Ilyashnko, rector of the Church of the All-Merciful Saviour.
Speaking at the Dialogue of Civilizations forum held in Rhodos Island, the priest referred to a study made by great Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev who tried to forecast the demographic situation in Russia on the basis of general tendencies and the level of healthcare as they were in the early 20th century.
At that time, Father Alexander reminded, the population in Russia grew at the rate of 1,5% a year. 'It means that the Russian Empire would have had the population of 282 millions by 1952 (for comparison, in 1993, that is, shortly after the disintegration of the USSR, its population was almost the same - 280 millions).
If this rate persisted, the priest continued, there would have been 579 millions in Russia by 2000, and 640 millions in 2005.
'However, we, Russians, are exactly half a billion fewer today, the people dwindling at the rate of 0,6% a year - this is the price paid for the social upheavals of the last century, first of all, the 1917 Revolution, which resulted from the people's departure from faith', Father Alexander underlined.
He is convinced that 'many things can be accounted for by the fact that the state was Orthodox before, and the authorities saw their work as service. The Orthodox government set itself as its task to create conditions for the people so that they might be well off, while the best minds of the state sought to give real support to the people'.
In order to overcome the demographic crisis, the priest called to exert every effort to bring people to church and help them become believers so that they may create lasting families based on love and mutual respect and may not be afraid of having many children.